For 9 years of my life, I was blessed to be a full-time youth minister, and I absolutely loved it. There were so many highlights: Office Olympics, Mission Trips to Mexico, and watching teens lives be transformed by God’s grace, to name a few. But there was one thing that I hated more than anything. There was one thing that used to demoralize me the moment I would walk into my office: the blinking light on my voicemail.
Honestly, I hated that thing. And seriously why did it have to blink? It was as if it was taunting me:
“You know all those things you wanted to get done today? Not gonna happen.”
“I’m blinking, so you know you have messages, but you don’t know how many. Could be 1, or could be 10, but you’ll have to dial in to find out.”
“Hmmm . . . I wonder who left you a message. Maybe it’s a teen thanking you for a great Life Night. Or maybe it’s an irate parent.”
So, how did I handle this? Most of the time, I put it off. I let that light blink and blink while I got “more important” things done. And when I finally got around to listening to the messages, I still wouldn’t return that call for a day, or two, or three. I had “real” ministry to do, and every time I walked into my office, I had a list of things I needed to get done.
Returning voicemails and emails were just a big interruption, and something tells me I’m not the only youth minister who has struggled with this.
But here’s the problem. That voicemail on your phone . . . it is important. That email that you’ve put off . . . it is important. It may not be important to you, but it’s important to the other person. That’s why they called, and by not responding, you’re basically saying, “You’re not important.”
You see, returning a voicemail or an email isn’t an interruption from ministry, it’s an opportunity for real ministry. Once I changed my perspective, I came to realize that one of the best things I could do for my ministry was to be more professional. And for many of us, that starts with follow up.
So find a time each day that works for you to return messages, and put it on your schedule. Maybe it’s when you first walk into the office. Maybe it’s right after lunch. Or maybe it’s the last hour of your day. Regardless of when, by adding in a specific time period, you’ll be more professional, build more relationships, and minimize those interruptions that keep you from planning the next “Lights Out Dodge Ball Tournament.”
Question: How do you handle returning voicemails and emails? (Share below.)
Office! What in the world is an office? Schedule? Ha! That’s all the time I have left after my 40 hour work week. Messages…Voicemails….Concerned Parents..once again all foreign to me. I have a small Core and a bunch of kids that really, really look forward to LifeTeen because of their efforts. None of us are paid, as a matter of fact most of us go into our pockets in order to be able to present Lifenight’s and feed the kids every week. Reality check, what percentage of Catholic Parishes have a paid “full time” Youth Minister? None of the Parish Youth Ministers that I know, doing this week in and week out are paid, none of us expect pay. The rewards go way past that.
The website is a great tool in helping to get the LifeNights together. The “resources”…never been able to find…never been used besides the Bible and the CCC. Songs? downloaded from I tunes to my Laptop…..videos…same thing except they’re from YouTube.
What demoralizes me? The Apathy of the adults that should be willing to get involved with our Catholic Youth and the programs that minister to them. Yet, I keep on keeping on because if I were to walk away, then what?
Bud, thank you for sharing. I think you are right on. There are so many volunteer youth ministers, and obviously they face different issues than those who are full-time. I think the best thing we can all do is continue to pray for each other. Thank you for your passion for the youth, brother. It’s an honor to serve alongside such a holy man of God.
Thanks for the support Eric! As a full time youth minister (which is common up here in Wisconsin, with Confirmation being during the high school years) I dread the flashing light on my phone, thankfully the screen tells me how many I have to return. I think I dread them more then e-mails because it is not a quick, instant way to respond. I think it’s true that phone calls allow you a great opportunity to minister to parents. Usually I end up answering many more questions then what the original question was about. It’s also a great way to take the time to talk with the parents about what’s going on in youth ministry, and maybe because of the interaction they may be more willing to join the core team!
Thanks for your thoughts! I totally agree with you. Returning phone calls is a great way to talk about Core Team and invite parents to be a part of the ministry.
As a full-time youth minister, I deal with the answering machine as soon as I walk in because you never know what it is going to be and it could be someone who really does need you. It also helps that our Faith Formation Coordinator for the elementary school kids usually gets here before I do and makes the blinking light stop and I get little notes on my desk when I get here! I find emails are much easier to respond to as I can return those at 10pm if I have to and not feel like I am interrupting someone’s sleep except my own.
The thing that irritates me are the text messages that I get at 1am and one following it at 1:15am upset because I did not respond…I usually have to lovingly remind my teens that even thought I am only 24 I still like to be asleep at 11.
The Cell phone one is difficult because you want to be there for your teens, but at the same time you need to take care of yourself. We have two full time youth & young adult ministers and we got our parish to get us each a work cell phone. It allows us to have a constant number to be called for retreats, mission trips, or other times teens and parents know I am away from my desk. I usually even have it on after I leave work for the day, but it also allows you to turn it off and not be disturbed when you need: like you are sleeping, on vacation, or just giving you a needed boundary between your personal and work lives!
-Andrew Schueller
This is so funny! I had just finished checking my own voicemails and clicked over to this article as a reward. I find that if I don’t listen to the voicemails first thing (as in, before I completely sit down and DEFINITELY before I turn on my computer) it takes a very long time for me to remember them.
E-mails are a bit more complicated. They tend to come in all at once, and most of the time I need to go search out the information I need in order to respond. As a result, I tend to want to read them all before responding. Then, suddenly, I’m trying to answer all of them at once and it becomes overwhelming and confusing. I need to learn to do things one step at a time!
Thanks for sharing! Always nice to know that your blog is thought of as a reward.Keep up the great work!
When is my favorite time to hit those dreadful phone messages? When my brand new computer that runs slower than … I dunno … something that runs slow … turns on. By the time that has gotten up and running and the Internet has finally decided to work (because the RE staff works in a portable building on the opposite side of the parking lot from the church and the rest of civilization) I’ve gotten my messages answered =) Otherwise, I wait until the next day. Why are phones even around still? Just text me! HA! Kidding, of course … kind of …
Lindsey, I love your authenticity and sense of humor. Sounds like your computer had to go through a lot just to make this comment. You must be so proud of it. Anyway, thanks for sharing, and may God continue to bless you and your ministry.
This is great- I just walked into my office, saw the blinking light, and thought it would go away if I read something inspiring on here. It worked! this post inspired me to listen to it! And I’m so glad I did- it was only a sales call!
Nice! I’ve come to learn that clearing off my voicemail is one of the best feeling in the world.
Oh, that red light…